City prepping up for Kagay-an Festival

EVERY nook and cranny in Cagayan de Oro will be spick-and-span come fiesta time.

Thus assured Vice Mayor Ian E. Acenas, as he called on contractors to speed up existing road projects within the downtown area so that various activities that require big spaces — such street dancing — may be accommodated.

“We have already lined up activities that we believe will attract more visitors — domestic and international alike,” he said. “But we have to improve the physical look of the city, and that calls for beautification and ensuring that sanitation is taken care of.”

Late last month, Acenas said the City Council passed a resolution to fast track the completion of road projects and delay new ones until the month-long Kagay-an
Festival ends.

He added rerouting of vehicles for the annual fiesta parade can’t be done unless construction activities in the downtown area are completed.

The Roads and Traffic Administration said vehicles passing Capistrano-Echem junction and Father Masterson road near SM will be rerouted on August 28, the fiesta day.

Beautification activities, meanwhile, are going on around the city, Acenas said.

Appropriate City Hall departments are tasked to clean roadsides and prune trees along national roads. Rotundas are given fresh landscaping.

“Broken streetlights are also being fixed along the Pelaez Highway and Bridge, which serves as an alternate route for tourists to and from the Lumbia airport,” he added.

Acenas admitted that the celebration last year was “not that impressive,” noting the complaints from spectators and visitors who found the activities lacking the usual Kagay-anon touch.

“This time, we’ll do whatever it is that makes the people happy. We’ll do our best to provide more entertainment so that visitors will have a memorable stay when in the city,” he said.